One thing in that article ...sez motors already had a 4% tariff. They must not have applied it to little mail order shops on aliexpress and ebay. I bought a TSDZ2 mid dive in July though, even though I don't have a bike for it yet.,

Are they also taxing parts (like mid drive motors and batteries) or just the complete bikes? 25% may sound like a lot but it is only $50 on a $200 motor. Perhaps these tariffs may also help people that are converting traditional bikes to electric on a small scale. A company manufacturing a $2000 ebike will get hit with an additional $500 in tax, but someone throwing a $400 motor on a $1600 bike will only have $100 in tax.

This tariff war will not work. Americans will continue buying Chinese products because after the extra tax, they are still affordable for them. The average Chinese will not be able to buy American goods after the extra tax.

This tariff war will not work. Americans will continue buying Chinese products because after the extra tax, they are still affordable for them. The average Chinese will not be able to buy American goods after the extra tax.

You must realize that there are some people/companies that will benefit from a
Temporary ... yes Temporary , 25 % Tariff on Cheep/Low Cost E-bikes and cheep heavy Chinese e-bike motors.

# 1 and very important ... Grin Technologies !

From all I have read on that Tarrif it is , Not , between China and Canada.

Example, Grin over the course of a couple of years designed and made ( until the elusive befang rear through axle motor which I still do not know who actually sells it )
...the only through axle hub motor available to buy. it had two drawbacks , one was that it was/is a front hub motor and most of us want a rear hub motor when using a hub, Heavy at 4 kg, andthe price nearly $ 600.
A hub motor at $ 595 has a hard time competing with the cheaper hub motors coming out of China.
Now Grin has its chance to develop a Rear Through Axle Hub Motor. lighter weight at 3kg or under would be preferable , if , they see what a great opportunity they now have , they should be able to make and sell a slightly higher priced rear through axle hub motor. Hope they realize that most bikes are going to 1x drivetrains , that means 12 and now even 13 speed rear cassettes.
For those of you who think old outdated thoughts about a 10 or 11 or 12 speed cassette, look at the new ( E-Bike Ready ) Sram Eagle NX 12 speed groupset .

Grin could probably make a mid drive now as well , now is the window of opportunity !

Grin Technologies has that couple of years of R and D work already done on a through axle hub motor. and Can now easily roll out a Rear version of a Through Axle Hub motor ... much faster than all the other companies over in China .
Keep in mind that most all MTB's these days that are worth buying for any kind of quality components on them , have the new Standard Rear Through Axle Frame/Wheel.
12mm x 142 was the standard for most years until just recently, I just last week talked to someone in the Bike Industry, who said that the new standard for rear frames/wheel are now 12mm x 148 mm wide spacing.

This is a Golden opportunity for Grin Technologies !
and
For many Canadian Businesses .

Last edited by ScooterMan101 on Aug 10 2018 6:01pm, edited 1 time in total.

Perhaps it is time for you to become a Snow Bird Canadian,
get that used RV/Toy Hauler that you perhaps always wanted,
buy one or two e-bikes , and ride them a couple of times off road that have some dirt and a little mud on them , they are now used bikes, it should then be easy to bring them down across the border .
Then bring them down to Florida for the winter. I am sure a few of the people at the drunken crowd at Daytona Bike Week have enough extra cash in the nearby local branch of their hometown bank to make a ... trade.
You would not make not much money, but it would help pay for petrol expenses to get yourself down to a warmer climate for a couple of months during your harsh winters.

Last edited by ScooterMan101 on Aug 16 2018 3:39pm, edited 1 time in total.

This tariff war will not work. Americans will continue buying Chinese products because after the extra tax, they are still affordable for them. The average Chinese will not be able to buy American goods after the extra tax.

I'm hoping that this is a negotiation tactic to get China to reduce or eliminate some of their tariffs and not a long term policy. If long term, it will be generally bad for the U.S. and China.

Sure, Americans will still buy with a 25% tariff, but not at the same rate.

If it ends up being a long term policy, then it is bad policy. And I don't say that from the perspective of an ebike consumer. Protectionism is generally bad policy.

Agreed.

But nowadays it doesn't really matter what the outcome is - it's how you spin it. There are some good effects from tariffs, after all; the US steel industry will likely benefit in some ways even if tariffs harm the industry as a whole. As long as you take credit for those good effects and find someone else to blame for the bad ones, tariffs can be an effective political tool, at least for a while.

Perhaps it is time for you to become a Snow Bird Canadian,
get that used RV/Toy Hauler that you perhaps always wanted,
Take a few of your, you know the e-bikes that you buy and ride a couple of times off road that have some dirt and a little mud on them , you know your Personal Bikes
Then bring them down to Florida for the winter. I am sure a few of the people at the drunken crowd at Daytona Bike Week have enough extra cash in the nearby local branch of their hometown bank to make a ... trade.

Hehe... Kinda wondering watt Troy in Buffalo is thinking... and his Maxwell EP-O ebike. Can almost see Buffalo from here (on the "wrong" side of Lake Ontario). Used to be a goods day sail to get to Rochester... and quite common for cruising sailors to carry bikes aboard. [Wink Wink] [Grin]

I emailed Radpower. https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/ ... 2659419167
This was their response:
" Hi George,
We are aware that tariffs on ebikes will be going into effect. At present, we are currently investigating how we can best limit the impact for our community and our company. We will provide updates once we have more definite information. These tariffs will in no way change our level of customer support, access to parts for our customers, and access to high quality ebikes.
Regards,
Luke Kipnis
Customer Experience Specialist / Rad Power Bikes"
Yep, looks like Trump's Tariffs are coming.

Here is a much more informational article about the real impacts of tariffs.
Not the Fear Mongering from the Major , so called , News Companies , here in the U.S.
( The so called news corporations that hire , talking heads that the Pharmaceutical Drug, and Car Companies , etc, like because those talking heads put fear into the American Public of anything that takes profits away from those corporations . ) I am surprised that a few members here on E.S. have been fooled by them .

Cost or access to personal cars is the least of my concern. I believe they should sell twice the cost that they are now, considering their impact on health, finance and environment. It is difficult because the personal car had established as a habit and a standard of life, but sooner or later we must find a way to slow down this evergrowing abuse of resources that is leading our world to dramatic environmental bankruptcy.

You are not understanding what the article is saying, they are not only talking about cars. They talk about other items that Europe puts Tariff's on .

So in other words , while some people have been hating on Trump, in Reality Europe had even higher tariffs on other items.
And
The article does not even go into detail the Fact that Europe has for many Decades , Many tariffs on much of what enters into Europe.

Interesting how when Trump does what others have done for many years / decades, he is the one who gets the Hate.

You believe that it is why Trump does attract the hate, contempt or laughter?

This is a consequence of all that he does and say, and the way that he does or say it. For some he is a compulsive liar, for some others he is an ignorant bully, others are seeing him as a clowning megalomaniacal pervert, and so on...

When the leader is improvising on a frame that he doesn’t know, changing his mind with the wind and giving sh*t to the whole orchestra, no wonder why so many are wishing him gone.

Then, to come back to the topic, Chinese and American populations will both lose money in this commercial war, but China has the tools and people to survive it better because it had been ‘conditioned’ to be self sufficient.

First he does not attract the amount of Hate or Contempt or Laughter you think he does,
You are only watching those who do that to him. I am Not a Supporter of Him, I just sit back and watch the brainwashing of the American Public to try and turn us against him.

But that is not working like you think. Or like the Big News Media's , want , you to think.

Second I disagree with you about who would survive a , perceived , trade war with China,
Fact is that China has been in a trade war with the United States for long before Trump came into Politics.
Look at the extremely large trade deficit the U.S. has with China , China in the long term will loose. China , Needs the U.S. to buy their products in order for them to survive .

And something else , some , people are not realizing, this Tariff is just a Negotiating Tactic by him, Trump's life has been in the Real Estate Business, where Offers and Counter Offers are the Normal way of doing business. There will be some type of compromise between China and the U.S. just sit back and be patient .

You believe that it is why Trump does attract the hate, contempt or laughter?

Then, to come back to the topic, Chinese and American populations will both lose money in this commercial war, but China has the tools and people to survive it better because it had been ‘conditioned’ to be self sufficient.

Chinese can, and did, survive with very low average income. The commercial prosperity and worlwide trading of Chinese industrial production is recent. 50 years ago, Chinese people didn’t buy American products. Even today, most American products are too expansive for the average Chinese worker, while Chinese products cost peanuts for the average American. That, is the cause for commercial balance deficit, and the fact that American companies are using Chinese cheap labour to cut on the cost of their products. Even when you buy American, part of it is Chinese.